Minister of Defence Ambrose Lufuma has urged the Zambia National Service (ZNS ) to continue embracing modern agricultural methods and technology.

Mr Lufuma said embracing modern agricultural methods will improve productivity and impact positively on the performance of the country’s economy.

He said this when he commissioned the agriculture earth moving equipment , and flagging off the wheat harvesting at the ZNS Airport farm in Chongwe district in Lusaka province.

The Minister said government is happy that ZNS’s purchase of two multi-purpose combine harvesters will help to enhance productivity of the nation through mechanisation of farm operations.

Mr Lufuma also noted that the waging war in Ukraine has awakened the wave among many African countries regarding the need to grow more food.

“So apart from pushing the attainment of food sovereignty, the government is working on incentivizing the farming community to position our country to be a net exporter of various agriculture produce,” Mr Lufuma said.

Mr Lufuma has since appealed to ZNS command to ensure that they speed up the Lusitu irrigation Scheme in Chirundu district and the Luswashi irrigation scheme in Mufulira under production.

He said the earth moving equipment will help ZNS to continue positioning itself to be reliable to the government in the construction of various earth works.

“It is especially heart-warming to realise that the service is adding a more taste brand of heavy-duty pieces of equipment to its aging fleet,” he said.

ZNS Commander Lieutenant General, Maliti Solochi said the modern pieces of agriculture machinery have been bought using internally generated resources at the cost of K6, 800.000.

Lieutenant General Solochi said the equipment will improve efficiency in the harvesting of the crop as there will be better grain yield owing to good agricultural practices.

“Other than harvesting wheat, the combine harvesters will also improve the service’s efficiency in the harvesting of soya beans and maize,” Lieutenant Solochi said.

He pointed out that the service will supplement government efforts to mobilize resources generated through the commercial projects.

The lieutenant General noted that the service will soon begin to reap benefits of the 11,224,000 spent on buying all pieces of equipment.

Minister of Community Development and Social Services Doreen Mwamba cites the need for concerted efforts to be put in place in order to foster a culture of zero tolerance to violence in all its forms.

Ms Mwamba said that the government is against any acts of violence against women, girls and children, and it therefore needs to come to an end.

Speaking in a speech read on her behalf by the Chief Child Development Officer, Lackson Chipampa, during the commemoration of the International Day of The Girl Child, the Minister further called for interrogation and dismantling of all negative social norms and cultural practices that infringe on the rights of girls.

“Globally,1 in 3 women have experienced some form of violence at least once in their lifetime, the picture in Zambia according to the 2018 health demographic survey, shows that at least 36 percent of women had reported experiencing violence,” she said

The Minister expressed contentment that this year’s commemoration under the theme “Our Time is Now-Our Rights, Our Future” is in line with the government’s aspirations as evidenced by the recent enactment of the Children’s Code Bill, which is significant and a huge milestone in advancing the right of girls and wellbeing of children in the country.

Ms Mwamba disclosed that Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, is currently working with support from partners, particularly UNICEF, to rollout the Children’s Code Bill which provides for roles, responsibilities and duties of most stakeholders such as parents, guardians, local communities, organizations, traditional leaders and the whole Zambian society.

And United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)Country Representative, Gift Malunga encouraged girls to prioritize education in order for them to have a bright future.

Ms Malunga highlighted the need for reproductive health education in order for girls to understand their responsibilities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Meanwhile, Director for Child Development, Bridget Moya, called on girls to be resilient and protect themselves from vices such as early marriages and teenage pregnancies.

Ms Moya stated that girls should ensure they are counted in issues of personal and national development.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has interrogated Davis Chama, former Minister of Defence, to help with investigations in connection with a matter in which money amounting to 3 million United States dollars was paid to the Patritic Front PF in 2016 by Glencore International AG, the mining company that was operating Mopani Copper Mine.

According to ACC Head-Corporate Communications Timothy Moono, the investigations border on the circumstances under which the said funds were paid by the named mining firm to a political party soon after which the firm exited Zambia under unfavourable terms to the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

Mr Moono said investigations into the matter are ongoing.

Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo has dismissed allegations of bribe saying that a TFM letter that has made rounds on social media implicating her office in alleged attempted bribery is not true.

Reacting to a question by Diamond Media Ms Masebo who could not comment further said that she will at an appropriate time issue a comprehensive statement on the matter.

On Monday, Social Media was awash with a letter dated May 15, 2022 bearing details of a reply by a South African-based company called TFM alleging the Minister’s representatives approached the firm to facilitate fees and a motor vehicle for her.

It’s alleged the matter is in connection with the Tender for the proposed construction and equipping of seven by 150-bed capacity infectious diseases isolation hospitals in Zambia.

A South African company, TFM Holdings (pty) Ltd revealed that a Cabinet Minister had been soliciting for a bribe before it could get favourable consideration.

TFM Industries (pty) Ltd chairman Mcebisi Nlozi revealed that the named Minister had been soliciting bribes from the company in form of facilitation fees and a luxury motor vehicle after it had been awarded a US$100 million contract to construct pre-fabricated hospitals in Southern, Western and North-Western Provinces.

In a letter to a local business executive dated 15th May 2022, Mr Nlozi claimed his company had been approached by representatives of the said Minister to arrange facilitation fees and a vehicle for the government official.

He had instead requested a local business executive to place the soliciting of the facilitations fees and a motor vehicle for the named Minister on record in Zambia.

“We write to you to place on record that we have been approached by representatives of the Minister of Health to arrange facilitation fees and a vehicle for her. We are, for obvious reasons very uncomfortable with this and wish to ask you to place this on record in Zambia, the letter reads.

Southern Province Minister, Cornelius Mweetwa has implored professional secretaries in Government and other public institutions to help fight corruption by reporting suspicious transactions that pass through their hands to relevant authorities.

Mr Mweetwa observed that secretaries due to the nature of their job come across sensitive information some of which may involve dubious and corrupt activities perpetrated by their supervisors.

He said it is such information that government would want secretaries to take note and report to law enforcement agencies.

The Provincial Minister said once secretaries get involved in the fight against corruption, audit queries in the Auditors report will reduce drastically.

Mr Mweetwa was speaking in Livingston today when he graced a three days Professional Secretaries Association of Zambia annual convention.

And speaking earlier, Association President, Christabel Musefwe thanked Government for supporting the Association’s efforts in enacting a Professional Secretaries Bill.

Mrs Musefwe informed the gathering that the UPND being a listening Government, the bill was tabled before Parliament and has since entered it’s second reading.

The Association President further cautioned secretaries to uphold high levels of transparency and confidentiality in executing their duties.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Garry Nkombo, has thanked the government of Japan for supporting Zambia in many areas, including the management of solid waste in Lusaka city.

Mr Nkombo said JICA has supported the Lusaka clean city project which aims at achieving a sustainable solid waste management system.

He said this at the JICA solid waste management seminar dubbed Lusaka Clean City Project held in Lusaka today.

Mr Nkombo noted that the culture of indiscriminate dumping of waste has resulted in the rapid deterioration of the environment.

He expressed sadness that some manufacturers and consumers are lacking appropriate means of disposing of such plastics.

“As a country aspires to live in a clean and healthy environment through Vision 2030, it is regrettable that the situation of garbage collection and the general cleanliness of premises and community surrounding have remained a source of problems which has resulted in public places becoming dirty and unacceptable to the health and wellbeing of the residents and visitors,” he stated.

The minister added that most local authorities are unable to deliver satisfactory services with limited participation of the private sector.

He said there is a need to pull resources together and ensure that there is clean surroundings in the city of Lusaka and elsewhere.

And Japanese Ambassador to Zambia, Ryta Miuzuuchi, said solid waste is one of the major projects that JICA is implementing in Zambia.

Ambassador Miuzuuchi said the Japanese government is looking forward to seeing Lusaka develop into a clean and green city and becoming a model of all African countries.

And Lusaka City Mayor, Chilando Chitangala, has urged all community-based enterprises (CBEs) contracted to collect solid waste management to up their game in their business.

Ms Chitangala revealed that the population of Lusaka is estimated to be more than three million and the city generates more than 1,500 tonnes of garbage per day.

In agreement with the government’s transformation agenda, the Cabinet has reviewed and approved policies, recommendations, models and reports for publication and introduction in Parliament in order to facilitate service delivery to Zambians.

Chief Government Spokesperson Chushi Kasanda stated that Cabinet has approved the Mineral Resources Development Policy and Implementation Plan for 2022 to 2026, Cabinet has observed that the Mineral Resources Development Policy of 2013 is inadequate in dealing with the many new issues taking place both locally and internationally in the mining industry.

Ms Kasanda added that there is need to address these new challenges that have emerged in the industry such as low investment in mineral exploration and mining, low participation of Zambians in the mineral value chain, inadequate growth coupled with the informality of the artisanal and small-scale mining sub sector, and to operationalize the new Government ambitions to ramp up Copper production to three million metric tons per annum by 2031.

Ms Kasanda explained during the 24th Cabinet Meeting held at State House that Cabinet has approved some recommendations from the 2022 findings of the Mining Cadaster Audit Report based on the key findings and recommendations from the Audit of the Mining Cadaster System for Mining and Non-Mining Rights, and the approved recommendations include re-opening the Mining Cadaster Department following the completion of the audit exercise, floating of the bids for the blocked mining rights to companies which are wholly or partly owned by Zambians, restricting the number of mining rights an entity or company or related companies should have to only five, ensuring that foreign entities, wishing to acquire mining rights, partner with Zambians or companies owned by Zambians, and utilization of ICT in the conduct of business to avoid human interaction.

“Cabinet further agreed to address the issues which have compromised the issuance and management of Mining Rights, implement decisive measures to unlock investment in the mining industry, and enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability in the administration of mining rights,” she said

During the same meeting Ms Kasanda said that Cabinet also approved the Integrated Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining and Marketing Development Model, which will be used to develop the Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining sub sector, identification or appointment of a Government entity as the Gold Aggregator, establishment and formalisation of the gold marketing centers, establishment of a Gold Refinery and value addition centers through Private Public Partnerships (PPPs), establishment and operationalisation of the Minerals Regulatory Commission, and provision of State Security in all gold mining areas and improve security in trading areas for gold miners and traders.

She noted that Cabinet has recognised that there has been a proliferation of informal artisanal gold mining activities in many parts of the country involving multitudes of youths, therefore, this in itself is testimony that, if well-managed, the sub-sector has the potential to absorb many youths in the much-needed job and wealth generation activities considering that these youths are attached to families.

“Cabinet is convinced that artisanal gold mining is one avenue through which the Government can fight extreme poverty, especially in the rural areas and consequently, lead to development in line with the Eighth National Development Plan,” she noted

Ms Kasanda who is also the Minister of Information and Media cited that Cabinet also approved the Fourth Cycle National Report on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) so that the Report can be submitted to the Human Rights Council as per the Human Rights Council resolution 16/21 adopted on 25th March, 2011, and decision 17/119 pertaining to the review of the Council, the second and subsequent cycles, which provides that Universal Periodic Review (UPR) should focus on, among other things, the implementation of the accepted recommendations and developments of the human rights situations in the State under review.

“Every United Nations (UN) Member State is required to prepare and submit a Fourth Cycle National Report on the Universal Periodic Review and Zambia, being a UN Member State, is among the group of States to be reviewed by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group during the January-February, 2023 Calendar reviews,” she cited